☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

°•. ┊ Wildest Dreams ┊.•°
✧ ˚ ━ burning red, act one

CHAPTER EIGHT — carnivals and hercules

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As we begin to approach the office door, my movements halt. "You know, in all the years of her life, never have I thought about how the hell to explain this to her." I look at him. "I've imagined telling you a million times, but not once have I pictured what to say when she asks. She's asked about her dad before, but I've always been able to say that he does the same job as Uncle Rooster, so he's always out of town. And she never questioned it..."

"Hey, come here." He takes my hand in his and pulls me closer, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. "We don't have to do this right now. It can wait. I don't want to push you into something that you aren't ready for."

"I'm ready. And she deserves to know." I take a deep breath, before releasing it. I drop his hand and open the door, walking in to find Maya and Warlock playing tic tac toe. He looks up at the two of us and excuses himself from the room. I sit in the chair and Jake moves to stand awkwardly behind me. "Hey, Pumpkin."

"Look." She holds up a piece of paper with a drawing of three people. I'm not entirely sure what it's of, but I can make out that there's three stick-like figures. "It's me, Lilypop, and you." Her smile is wide, causing one to break out on my face.

"It's very nice. You should give it to Lily, so she can put it on her fridge." I suggest, knowing that I can't fit anything else on mine. "Kid, can we talk? So, you know how at mommy's work the other night, you met this guy standing behind me?" She gives me an excited nod, as she looks between the two of us. "Well, he's your dad. And you can do with that information what you wish." Maya stares at me for a moment, before climbing into my lap and standing on my legs, as she reaches for the man.

"Hi." She smiles up at him and he scoops her into his arms. "Do you like Taylor Swift?" I spin the chair around and release a laugh at her question. She meets her father and that's the first question she asks...I'd say I've done my job right. Jake shares a slight look of panic with me and I raise my brows at him. Oh, I know he is not about to question that. He can deny it all he wants, but I've heard him singing 'We Are Never Getting Back Together' in the shower so loudly. And I won't hesitate to call him out on it, if anything other than 'yes' comes out of his mouth right now.

"Oh, yeah. She's the best." He answers, truthfully. And as I watch the pair, my heart feels full. I begin to think about the last time I ever felt this beautifully content with life.

As I'm wailing on a punching bag; a pair of arms creep around my waist and lift me into the air. A squeal of shock releases from my lips, as the culprit spins me around, before returning my feet to the mat. I face him, punching his shoulder and allowing my hands to connect at the nape of his neck. "Let me take you out tonight."

"Are you asking me on a date, Jakey?" I question, my tone is teasing.

"Not after that." He moves himself from me and spins on his heel to walk away. I jog around to cut him off, placing my hands onto his shoulders to stop his movements. "Well, now look who's obsessed." The smirks down at me.

"No, just curious." I argue, standing with my hands on my hips. "So, hypothetically, if I said yes, where would we be going?"

"That's classified." Jake leans down, pressing his lips to the outside of my ear. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"We couldn't have that." I use his shoulders to push him back. "If I were gone, who'd be left to put your ego in check?" Voices can be heard entering the workout area, causing the two of us to part quickly, and I return to my previous activity, while Jake moves to the opposite side of the room. To some people this would be a dead giveaway; too obvious. But when it comes to Jake and I, we're sworn enemies; at least as far as anyone knows. Bradley comes over to me and starts talking about Lilith, again. I drown him out, my thoughts clouded with the endless possibilities Jake could have planned. Now, I love B and I love Lils, but I no longer have the energy to train, sneak around with Jake, parent my younger brother, and listen to the couple drone on about one another.

"And don't get me started on Hangman." The mention of him pulls me back to reality. "Left me out to dry. Again. One of these days, I'll get him back."

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After a few games, rides, and a disgusting amount of food; the sun begins to disappear and I make a beeline for the ferris wheel, while Jake follows closely behind. We make it to the front, just in time, and he starts the conversation. "I know that we talk. And I'm guessing that I know a lot about you. But I want the basic information. That shit people talk about on first dates. Like, uh, like your favorite color or favorite movie."

"Uh, light green. You know, like sage. And my favorite movie changes every now and then. I've got a long list, but always a safe bet; The Proposal. Or Pride and Prejudice. Almost any early 2000's rom-com. What about you?"

"Red. And The Fast and The Furious." My brows furrow in confusion at his response.

"Great movies. Very valid option." I nod my head and he seems to smile. "But come on, Jake. Is it really your favorite?"

"Yeah." I stare him down, waiting for him to crack and finally he does. "Fine. Fine, it's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. There. You happy?" I smile widely and nod my head with a hum. The two of us start to laugh and after a while we calm down. "Okay, which parent are you closer to? Mom or dad?"

"Well, my dad's dead, so..." I tell him, my eyes on the sky above us, as the ride comes to a stop. When he doesn't respond, I glance at him, only to find him already looking at me. His expression is soft and somber. "Don't give me that look. I don't need pity. It was a long time ago."

"How'd it happen?" Jake asks, but regret seems to follow immediately. "Shit. Sorry. You don't have to answer that."

"No, it's okay. Really. Uh, kidney failure." I breathe, twisting the rings that litter my hands. "I was fifteen. But to answer your initial question...I was always closer with my dad. My mom has never liked me. She loves me because she has to. I'm her kid. But she never liked who I was. Still doesn't. My dad, on the other hand, thought that I walked on water...and I guess back then it was more deserving."

"Well, if it's any constellation, I think your mom is missing out."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He smiles. "You're awesome. I've had the most fun with you these past few weeks, then I have in a long time. I see the way you are with your little brother and with Lilith, you care about people. Walker and Bradshaw couldn't be more whipped and they're not even sleeping with you. You've got this, uh, this energy around you, Rivie. Even when people hate you, they like you. I don't see how anyone can walk away from you..." There's a lull in the conversation, as the two of us stare at one another. We both start to slowly lean in, when the ride starts up again, killing the moment. I clear my throat and adjust in my seat.

"So, the dead dad I told you about." I start looking over at him. "Well, I've never really been good at showing what I'm feeling."

"Really? Couldn't tell."

"Shut up." I smile at him, bumping my shoulder against his own. "Basically, my dad would tell me that I remind him of sunsets because they're kaleidoscopes of beautiful colors. And that I was a kaleidoscope of beautiful emotions. It would make me cry every single time without fail. He'd use it anytime I was upset, but pretending like I wasn't. Actually, he'd simply say; "Sunsets, Mija. Remember the sunsets." He was a persistent son of a bitch. But he never made me feel bad about my pain."

"He sounds like a good guy."

"He was the best." I rest my head on his shoulder and relax into his touch. "He would've liked you. Strangely enough. Well, the real you. Not the jackass facade you put on for everyone else." I hear him release a chuckle and we get back to the bottom, getting off the ferris wheel.

I pull him towards a photobooth and the two of us squeeze inside; our final position being me in his lap. The first photo ends up being us looking at one another while attempting to decide what our first pose should be. For the second one, we decide to just smile. On the third one, we're back to staring at one another, only this time it's more of a longing. And our lips meet in a tender kiss; just as the flash goes off for the final picture. We part and I rest my forehead against his, breathing each other in. I make the first move to get out, pushing back the curtain and removing myself from Jake's lap. Once we're both out, I reach down and pull out a singular photostrip. "Damn, we got jipped." Seresin huffs, his arm around my waist, as we stare down at the set of pictures. I pull myself out of his grip and start folding the paper in half, before ripping it across the line. I take a moment to look between the sets and choose the bottom half, handing him the top.

"See, problem solved." We both look at our photos and then smile at one another. I wrap my arms around his torso and rest my chin against his chest, looking up at him. Jake brushes a few strands of hair out of my face and rests his hand on my neck. Oh...oh. As I'm gazing into his endless sage eyes, a strange and terrifying realization washes over me. Friends with benefits never work. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I don't know." A smile forms on my face, lying through my teeth. "Just thank you."

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts and I turn to see who it is; finding Lilith and Bradley there. "Seresin. Let's go." Lilith commands, as Brad takes a few steps further into the room. I look over my shoulder and Jake gives me a look of confusion, that's laced with fear. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna talk." He puts Maya down and follows the Hugo girl out of the room. I stand up and lean against the front of Warlock's desk, looking at Bradley with my head tilted slightly. Maya rushes to the door and turns back to me, waiting for approval to follow after Lil and J. I nod my head and she's running off. Once she's out of ear shot, I turn to my best friend.

"So, she has a daughter..."

"I guess so."

"That's it? That's all I get?" I cross my arms over my chest, as the questions fly out of my mouth. "Do you think it's yours?"

"I have no idea." He breathes, shifting his weight between his feet. "If I find out that Seresin has been helping to raise my kid, I'm gonna kill him-"

"Coming from you, that's rich." I laugh, knowing damn well that if Jake said that to him, he'd defend his role in Maya's life with everything he's got. The conversation falls flat, our minds spinning with a number of questions. "Well, we need answers."

"We?" He raises a brow in my direction. I tilt my head a bit and shrug. "Look, when-" His sentence is cut off when Maya runs full speed back into the room and collides with Brad's legs. "Woah, where's the fire, Mimi?"

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"What's up, sweets?" I squat down to level my eyes with hers.

"Lilypop and dad were talking and she said that she remembered how on their first day at school, he said that, that he was gonna marry you."

"What?" I question, softly. I look at her through furrowed brows and silently applaud her eavesdropping skills, while wondering if he really meant it. And adding yet another question to the list I'm compiling in my head to ask Lilith later. He wanted to marry me? Crap.

"Wow." Bradley says quietly. "Does Hangman actually have a soul?"

"Shut up, Bradley." I berate. "What exactly did-" My sentence is interrupted by the pair re-entering the room, as I return to my standing position. Lilith asks if everything's okay, as Bradley begins to respond and I lodge my elbow in his ribcage. I plaster a smile in my face and he releases a groan of pain. "Everything's great. What's going on with you guys? Water under the bridge?"

"Yeah...for now." Lil smiles, turning to my best friend. "Listen, I've got to go get Iliana. So, I'll see you guys later, yeah?" The woman spins on her heel and exits the room. I grab Brad's bicep and shove him forward, gesturing for him to go with her. He does just that and I pull my phone from my back pocket, texting him to keep me posted with any and all information he gets about her. After pressing send, I return the device to my jeans and look at Jake.

"Do you wanna come over?" The question falls from my lips and he raises a brow at me. I pick up on what he's suggesting and let the smile form fully on my face, our minds equally dirty. "Not what I meant. I was thinking more like we all hang out, I order a pizza on the way home so that it should arrive soon after we do and we watch a movie or something."

"Well, that depends...is it okay with Maya?" He smiles down at the girl beside me, receiving an excited nod from her. The three of us exit the room, Jake heading towards the locker room to change, as I bring Maya out to the car. I sit in the driver's seat with her on my lap and the door open, waiting for the man to exit the building. When he does, he gets into his truck and follows me to the house. I call my go-to pizza place and place the order, then hang up, returning to our music. I pull into the driveway, putting the car into park and killing the ignition. I grab my bag, exiting the vehicle and opening the door for Maya, as the three of us enter the house. Our daughter insists on showing Jake her room, dragging him up the stairs. I release a laugh, dropping my stuff on the chair by the window and slipping out of my boots. I check my phone, hoping to find any updates from Bradley and unfortunately having no new messages. Damn. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, as questions flood my mind. I mean, she has a kid and she didn't say anything. The only reason she wasn't aware that Maya existed is because she decided to leave without talking to anyone. And I hadn't fully processed the information myself. I drop onto the couch, lifting my knees to my chest and letting my mind wander through the number of explanations for this mystery child. A knock on the door brings me back into reality and I jump up, opening it to reveal the delivery man. I grab the money from my wallet and hand it to him, taking the box from his hands. The two of us share a few greetings, before I close the door and walk towards the dining table, dropping the box onto it. I call out to the pair and soon enough they rush down the stairs, sounding like a stampede. "How can I help?"

"You can grab plates from the kitchen, please." I tell him, as Maya sits down and opens the box. She reaches in for a slice and I wave her hand away. "Patience, kiddo." Jake comes back in, juggling plates, napkins and a few waters. I take the glass from him, handing one to Maya and placing the other two in front of Jake and I. The three of us sit around, shoveling mass amounts of pizza into our mouths and talk about every topic under the sun. Towards the end of our meal there's a debate about what to watch; Maya votes for Hercules, while Jake wants to watch Tangled. "No, we watched that a couple days ago. The kid wins." I state, collecting the plates, as our girl does a little victory dance. I head into the kitchen, place them in the sink and wash the grease from my hands, before joining them in the living room. I kill the lights and sit beside Jake, as Maya is on the other side of him. My eyes become heavy about half an hour into the film and I use Jake as a head rest; allowing sleep to encompass me.

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lexi's letters; the rivera-seresin-hugo-bradshaw family 🤝 being swifties